![]() Kraemer, the first black families moved to the area. ĭuring the 1950s and 1960s, after the Supreme Court declared all racially exclusive housing covenants (title deeds) unconstitutional in the case Shelley v. Compton, there still remains one small pocket of agriculture from its earliest years. Despite being located in the middle of a major metropolitan area, thanks to the legacy of Griffith D. The eastern side of the city was predominately white until the 1970s. ![]() One reason for this was Compton was close to Watts, where there was an established black population. In the late 1940s, middle class blacks began moving into the area, mostly on the west side. While it would eventually be home to a large black population, in 1930 there was only one black resident. On March 10, 1933, a destructive earthquake caused many casualties: schools were destroyed and there was major damage to the central business district. Compton Junior College was founded and city officials moved to a new City Hall on Alameda Street. The 1920s saw the opening of the Compton Airport. Compton couldn't support large-scale agricultural business, but it did give the residents the opportunity to work the land for their families. The farms attracted the black families who had begun migrating from the rural South in the 1950s, and there they found their 'home away from home'. The ample residential lots of Richland Farms gave residents enough space to raise a family, and food to feed them, along with building a barn, and caring for livestock. The first City Council meeting was held on May 14, 1888. On the city of Compton was incorporated with a population of 500 people. In January 1888, a petition supporting the incorporation of Compton was forwarded to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, who in turn forwarded the petition to the State Legislature. Compton donated his land to incorporate and create the city of Compton in 1889, but he did stipulate that a certain acreage be zoned solely for agriculture and named Richland Farms. A series of town meetings were held to discuss incorporation of their little town. īy 1887, the settlers realized it was time to make improvements to the local government. Many in the Compton party wanted to relocate to a friendlier climate and settle down, but as there were two general stores within traveling distance-one in the pueblo of Los Angeles, the other in Wilmington-they eventually decided to stay put. To gather firewood it was necessary to travel to mountains close to Pasadena. The weather continued to be harsh, rainy and cold, and fuel was difficult to find. Compton's earliest settlers were faced with terrible hardships as they farmed the land in bleak weather to get by with just the barest subsistence. However, to avoid confusion with the Comptonville located in Yuba County, the name was shortened to Compton. Originally named Gibsonville, after one of the tract owners, it was later called Comptonville. These families had traveled by wagon train south from Stockton, California, in search of ways to earn a living other than the rapid exhaustion of gold fields. In 1867, Griffith Dickenson Compton led a group of 30 pioneers to the area. American immigrants acquired most of the rancho lands after 1848. The rancho was subdivided and parcels were sold within the Californios of Alta California until the lands were ceded after the Mexican-American war in 1848. The tree that marked the original northern boundary of the rancho still stands at the corner of Poppy and Short streets. Dominguez's name was later applied to the Dominguez Hills area south of Compton. In 1784, the Spanish Crown deeded a tract of over 75,000 acres (304 km 2) to Juan Jose Dominguez in this area. The city is generally a working class city with some middle-class neighborhoods, and is home to a relatively young population, at an average 25 years of age, compared to the American median age of 35 (2010 data). ![]() Neighborhoods in Compton include Sunny Cove, Leland, Downtown Compton, and Richland Farms. It is known as the "Hub City" due to its geographic centrality in Los Angeles County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 96,455. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and on May 11, 1888, was the eighth city to incorporate. Compton is a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated south of downtown Los Angeles.
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